Pasta Sauce from the Box

I avoided making my own pasta sauce for years thinking, how could it possibly be worth so much trouble? But it really is so much better, and it really isn't all that much trouble. Here's a quick tutorial for how to make it yourself in less than hour using only ingredients from your box.

You will need:

A quantity of ripe tomatoes, peeled and diced

1 onion, diced

4 cloves garlic, minced

Italian seasoning (fresh basil, dried marjoram, dried oregano)

Salt

Olive oil, about 1/4 cup

1 bell pepper or chili pepper (if desired), seeded and diced

6 oz. can tomato paste (if desired)

1. Start with the freshest ingredients

You'll need a large bowl of fresh tomatoes. Any kind will do: big or small, red or yellow. Even the over-ripe ones will do just fine. I don't even bother to wash or stem them first. 

2. Boil the tomatoes
Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil. Quickly, but gently (so you don't splash yourself with boiling water) slide all of the tomatoes into the water and boil for exactly 30 seconds. Thirty seconds is the perfect amount of time: any less and the skins don't slip off as easily; any more and the tomatoes start to turn to mush.

3. Dunk the tomatoes in an ice bath
Drain the pot of boiling tomatoes in a colander and transfer the tomatoes into a large bowl of ice water to stop the tomatoes from cooking further.

4. Peel and dice the tomatoes
This is the part that always turned me off, but in fact skinning a tomato is pretty effortless. If you've followed the steps above to the letter, the skins will practically slip right off. For a more liquid, "garden-style" sauce, just dice the tomatoes into large chunks and reserve them, seeds and juice and all, for the sauce pot. For a thicker, more even-textured sauce, discard the seeds and excess juice, reserving only the diced tomatoes.

5. Fill your pot
Start by sautéing the diced onion in the olive oil until translucent (on medium heat for about 5 minutes). Add the minced garlic and sauté about 1 more minute. Add the diced tomatoes, salt, and herbs, and cook until well-incorporated.

6. Simmer to taste

Simmer the sauce on low heat for 15-30 minutes, stirring occasionally—and tasting rather more frequently—until the sauce has reached the flavor and consistency you desire. Season until you get it right. To rescue a watery sauce or to make a thicker sauce suitable for a lasagna or eggplant parmesan, add a tablespoon or more of tomato paste.

Meanwhile, here's the moment when you start boiling the pasta water in another pot. My brother-in-law, who is a proud Italian chef, taught me this handy tip for boiling pasta: "Keep adding salt to the water until it tastes like the Mediterranean!" And his secret to making good pasta sauce: "Taste, taste and taste again!"

Variations:

• For a spicier sauce, add one of this week's chili peppers to the pot. Serve with penne noodles for the classic Penne all'Arrabbiata
• For more tang but without the spice, season with a tablespoon of red wine vinegar, adding more to taste. 
• If your are used to a sweeter pasta sauce, go ahead and add a teaspoon of sugar, adding more to taste.